Converts numeric values to text strings. TO_CHAR also converts dates to strings.
TO_CHAR converts numeric values to text strings as follows:
•Converts double values to strings of up to 16 digits and provides accuracy up to 15 digits. If you pass a number with more than 15 digits, TO_CHAR rounds the number to the sixteenth digit.
•Returns decimal notation for numbers in the ranges (-1e16,-1e-16] and [1e-16, 1e16). TO_CHAR returns scientific notation for numbers outside these ranges.
Note: Data Integration converts the values 1e-16 and -1e16 to scientific notation, but returns the values 1e-16 and -1e-16 in decimal notation.
Syntax
TO_CHAR( numeric_value )
Argument
Required/
Optional
Description
numeric_value
Required
Numeric datatype. The numeric value you want to convert to a string. You can enter any valid expression.
Return Value
String.
NULL if a value passed to the function is NULL.
Example
The following expression converts the values in the SALES column to text:
TO_CHAR( SALES )
SALES
RETURN VALUE
1010.99
'1010.99'
-15.62567
'-15.62567'
10842764968208837340
'1.084276496820884e+019' (rounded to 16th digit)
1.234567890123456789e-10
'0.0000000001234567890123457'(greater than 1e-16 but less than 1e16)